The Greek government termed Turkey's recent constitutional reforms "a step in the right direction" yesterday, but a far cry from European standards of democratic legislation.
"The amendments to the Turkish constitution reflect a step in the direction of improvement, but they are a long way from European constitutions and legislation," government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos said.
"We don't overestimate this effort by Turkey," he said, adding: "We don't meddle in the domestic affairs of Turkey, but Greece keeps a close watch on institutional developments in all countries, particularly those - such as Turkey - eager to join the European Union," Mr. Venizelos said.
The Turkish amendments, approved over the weekend, expand political participation and lift certain restrictions on trade unions. The amendments are part of a democratisation programme Prime Minister Tansu Ciller unveiled more than a year ago. It marked the first time Turkey has amended its constitution under a civilian government.
Constitutional reform was one of a number of conditions set by the Europarliament for ratification of a customs union agreement between Turkey and the EU. European Parliament president Klaus Haensch told reporters during a visit to Athens last week that the proposed Turkish constitutional reforms were inadequate and threatened to scuttle the agreement unless Ankara improves its poor human rights record.
The customs union pact, which will give Turkey access to lucrative EU markets, was approved by EU ministers in March but has still to win approval from the European Parliament.
Prominent members of both major sides of the German political spectrum yesterday welcomed the constitutional changes adopted by the Turkish National Assembly.
Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel from Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, said in a statement the changes represented a significant part of Turkey's effort to converge politically with the European Union. "The constitutional changes adopted by the Turkish Parliament constitute a significant step toward strengthening democracy in Turkey. Turkey has, in this way, fulfilled one of basic preconditions for the country's further approach to Europe," he said.
"The constitutional reform adopted is an important step toward strengthening the democratic system, the functionality of state institutions and human rights. And it opens the way to further democratisation and liberalisation measures, as Turkey itself is seeking.
"Immediately after the constitutional reform, I communicated at length by telephone from Dar-es-Salaam with Turkish Foreign Minister Erdal Inonu and I congratulated him on the most important constitutional reform in the history of Turkey. At the same time, I encouraged the Turkish government to continue on the road already carved for more freedom and individual rights," he added.
Social Democratic Party (SPD) parliamentary spokesman on foreign affairs Karsten Vogt welcomed the constitutional changes as "a first step in Turkey's process of democratisation announced many years ago," and stressed that his party is "fully conscious of the fact that this process is only in the beginning and further steps must follow."
Mr. Vogt told ANA that conditions set by the European Parliament for ratification of Turkey's customs union with the EU are "maximalist," adding that in his opinion, the Turkish National Assembly will have abolished or amended article 8 of the controversial anti-terrorist law by autumn, thereby "removing the last argument for refusing ratification of the customs union."
The German paper "Suddeutche Zeitung" posed a question as to whether the reforms "constitute an historical turn," or "are inadequate," casting doubt on whether they increased the chances of the Europarliament ratifying the customs union agreement.
In a statement yesterday, Amnesty International attacked Turkey over its human rights situation and said recent constitutional reforms do not go far enough.
The London-based group said the 12 highly publicised amendments enacted did not tackle the root of the problem. "We are disappointed that the government's recent constitutional changes do not address Turkey's fundamental human rights problems, despite strong promises to tackle its disastrous record," the statement said.
The international human rights watch-group called for abolition or reform of articles of the penal code whereby prisoners are held on matters of conscience; the right of access to an attorney and family to all detainees as well as the shortening of the maximum length in police custody without charges.
The European Commission yesterday adopted a proposed regulation concerning EU measures for financial co-operation with Turkey, which is to be submitted to the Council of Ministers.
The regulation defines the framework of Turkish programmes which can be financed by the EU. Four major sectors are envisaged.
First, promotion of competitiveness of the Turkish economy.
Secondly, a strengthening of democracy, development of human potential and environmental protection.
Third, promotion of co-operation in developing the country's infrastructure and agriculture as well as a fight against drugs and organised crime.
And finally, Turkey's cross-border and regional co-operation with other community and Mediterranean countries.
NATO Secretary General Willy Claes, due in Greece late last night, will direct the Bucharest Symphony Orchestra at a concert tomorrow evening at the ancient Herod Atticus Theatre as part of the annual Athens Festival. Mr. Claes will give a pre-concert press conference today, the Tourism Ministry announced. A Romanian Embassy spokesman told ANA that Mr. Claes has conducted the same orchestra previously in Bucharest.
The Greek government dismissed remarks yesterday by the widow of a former Greek Moslem deputy, saying her statement was made under the shock of her husband's sudden loss in a traffic accident.
"The Greek government understands the shock in which the widow of Ahmed Sadik has suffered, and hopes she will quickly recover from the traumatic incident," government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos said.
Sadik, 47, was killed in a head-on collision with a farm tractor late Monday while driving home from a wedding in the Thracian city Komotini. The University of Thessaloniki-trained surgeon was a twice-elected deputy from the Komotini area. His wife and two children were also injured in the crash.
Turkish press reports quoted his wife, Icik, as saying her husband was "murdered." "The tractor driver was waiting on the road. When he saw we were approaching he started the tractor and blocked our route," she reportedly told the semi-official Turkish news agency Anatolia.
The funeral will be attended by the Turkish minister to the prime minister's office, Algan Hadjaloglu, Turkish main opposition leader and leader of the Motherland Party (ANAP) Mesut Yilmaz, political leaders and five deputies.
Open disagreements surfaced late Tuesday evening during a meeting of the ruling PASOK party's executive bureau, prompted by Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou's press statements Monday.
Informed sources said four executive bureau members - Commerce and Industry Minister Costas Simitis, Stephanos Manikas, Miltiades Papaioannou and Yiannis Souladakis - said the premier gave the impression he personally appoints and dismisses executive bureau members and its secretary, while in reality members are elected by the party's central committee. Consequently, they said the premier should respect that principle.
The four also said Mr. Papandreou had an important and equally large responsibility in assuring his succession (as head of government) is by a PASOK member and not by main opposition New Democracy party leader Miltiades Evert, as the Sunday paper "To Vema" recently suggested, sources added. According to the same sources, the four top PASOK cadres said Mr. Papandreou should have condemned such scenaria, instead of adopting them.
Mr. Papandreou warned during the Monday press conference that PASOK may lose the next general elections if its members did not display a greater degree of unity. He also said he would support his wife, Dimitra, if she decided to run for Parliament on the PASOK ticket and hinted at significant changes in the party and government this autumn.
The four executive bureau members criticised the prime minister because, as they claimed, during the press conference he hinted that there was "political planning for the party and government without any previous discussion of the issue in the executive bureau."
They also said Mr. Papandreou appeared to disagree with leading PASOK officials, which meant he was "misinformed," adding that "those responsible for the disinformation should be sought and their goals investigated."
Executive Bureau Secretary Akis Tsohatzopoulos, on the other hand, maintained that the substance and meaning of the premier's statements was understood by all, adding: "Mr. Papandreou has never said or hinted that he personally appoints and dismisses the executive bureau members and its secretary."
Meanwhile, former minister Dimitris Tsovolas strongly attacked the prime minister, saying Mr. Papandreou's statement that he would support a possible candidacy of his wife reflected an "I decide" attitude. He also spoke of a democratic deficit in the operation of the political parties, adding that the 21st anniversary of the restoration of democracy in Greece coincided with explosive national, economic and social problems.
Mr. Tsovolas said "everyone must realise PASOK is not the property of anyone, but belongs to the members who support it and who do not tolerate any further disdain or undermining of ideological and political principles, nor abolition of its internal democratic procedures recently proclaimed and decided."
However, Mr. Tsovolas agreed with the prime minister's view that foreign powers and the economic establishment wished to turn the post-Papandreou period into a post-PASOK period, adding that Mr. Papandreou "cannot, with his statements and other political actions, create the conditions for the success of this dangerous goal."
Greece's national Public Petroleum Corp. (DEP) announced yesterday that government inspections noted rampant profiteering in the sale of gasoline in various parts of the country. DEP said profiteering was most rampant on the islands of Cephalonia, Chios, Crete and Samos. DEP threatened to raise prices on the four islands if companies selling fuel failed to limit their profit margins.
The warning came as DEP announced it was trimming the price of gasoline nation-wide by 1.3 drachmas per litre and diesel by 0.30 drachmas. The drop is due to reduced international oil prices.
President of the Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos yesterday honoured the Fire Service Corps with the Cross of the Commanders of the Order of Honour for its contributions.
During a reception after the ceremony, Public Order Minister Sifis Valyrakis praised fire-fighters for their self-sacrifice in recent disasters such as the earthquake in the Aigialia region and a huge forest fire in Attica. The ceremony was also attended by the ambassadors of France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Jordan.
Meanwhile, Greece yesterday expressed its gratitude to Italy, Germany and France for sending airborne fire-fighting units to help extinguish the devastating blaze on the outskirts of Athens last week. Foreign ministry sources said Alternate Foreign Minister for European Affairs Georgios Alexandros Mangakis relayed the messages of appreciation through the Greek embassies in Rome, Bonn and Paris. The three EU member-states sent special planes and helicopters after Greek appeals for assistance to battle against the unprecedented blaze.
The Greek army yesterday took delivery of two new Greek-made Elbo-Stayer 14 fire-fighting vehicles. A total of 50 such vehicles will be delivered through May 1996.
Meanwhile, main opposition New Democracy party deputies yesterday tabled a draft bill in Parliament for establishment of a General Secretariat for Civil Protection. Legislation would aim to draft, organise and co-ordinate the government's policy in issues related to prevention and dealing with the consequences of natural and man-made disasters.
Communist Party of Greece (KKE) Secretary-General Aleka Papariga will visit the quake-stricken region of Egion today, a party announcement said yesterday. It stated Ms. Papariga will have a meeting in the evening with local associations to discuss a series of measures for rehabilitation and development of the area.
Tourism Minister Nikos Sifounakis announced yesterday in Rhodes that 1995 is a critical year for tourism, which he labelled as "the only industry left in Greece."
Mr. Sifounakis addressed a meeting of ministry officials, parliamentarians as well as regional and local tourism associations' representatives. The meeting was also attended by Interior Minister Costas Skandalides, who stressed the need for a "decentralisation of tourist policy (from the Hellenic Tourism Organisation (EOT) to the regional authorities and municipalities)."
Referring to problems facing Greece's tourism sector, Mr. Sifounakis said changes were in order and that "something has got to change in the tourism industry." He said the hard drachma policy would not change and that "incentives for further support of our tourism product should be sought elsewhere."
The government decided yesterday to go ahead with the partial privatisation of the Public Petroleum Corp. (DEP) through a listing on the Athens Stock Exchange (ASE).
The decision was taken at a meeting of the Inter-ministerial Committee on Denationalisations, attended by National Economy Minister Yiannos Papantoniou, Commerce and Industry Minister Costas Simitis and Finance Under-Secretary Nikolaos Kyriazidis.
The decision for partial privatisation of DEP and its subsidiaries ELDA (Hellenic Refineries) and EKO (Hellenic Fuels and Mineral Oils) was taken in June 1995. However, the timing of the move was withheld until conditions on the oil and stock markets were appropriate, according to reports.
Mr. Simitis said both ownership and management of the DEP group of companies would remain under state control. The process of drafting a report on the procedure to be followed in listing DEP shares on the ASE will be drawn up, while the selection of financial consultants for the issue will be pushed forward, both ministers said after yesterday's meeting.
Mr. Simitis denied press reports he was opposed to a DEP listing. He did say, though, that there were some procedural problems as to how prospective foreign investors could take part in the purchase of DEP shares.
Press sources said potential foreign investors wished to be advised of the precise relationship between the parent company and its subsidiaries after the listing. Funds from the stock market listing be used to finance the companies' investment programmes.
Parliament President Apostolos Kaklamanis yesterday received 160 international students majoring in various classical and modern Greek studies. Mr. Kaklamanis thanked the students, who currently attend classes at Athens University, for devoting part of their life to Greek studies, asking them to become "Greece's ambassadors to your home countries."
Seventy artists from Italy donated works to the Municipal Art Gallery of Patras in a bid to boost cultural ties between the Achaian city and Italy. "The gesture honours the artists and strengthens ties of friendship and cultural co-operation between Greece and Italy," said Patras Mayor Andreas Karavolas. The initiative was launched last year by Naples artist Vittorio Piskopo. The works will be on display at the gallery until mid August.